At this point Blade would cheerfully have strangled Bairam with his bare hands. From the look on Kareena's face she would probably have helped him. However, there was Hota to deal with first. Everyone else was hovering around the two swordsmen, not knowing whether they should back off and give them room to fight or try to break up the duel. Custom and the Law said the duel should be fought. Common sense said it should be stopped. Then Blade pushed his way through the circle and stepped up to Hota.

«Hota, I say that you are a coward, to fight Bairam who has not your strength. I say that you will prove anything only by fighting me to the death.»

Hota spat at Blade's feet. «You are outside the Law, Blade. Now stand out of the way.»

«So are you, Hota. The Law is made for men. You are much less of a man than Kareena. You are only an animal who talks too much and foolishly. I say this, and I will go on saying it while I live. So kill me or hear it from me every day while I am in Kaldak.»

Hota's scream really was more like an animal's cry than anything human. Blade jumped back as Hota's sword flashed past his chest three times, in three savage thrusts. Then several men gripped Hota's arms and shoulders, pulling him back. He screamed and cursed until Blade was afraid the men holding him would have to knock him out. Blade very much wanted the fight to go to a conclusion.

«Hota, will you prove Blade's words the truth?» said Sidas angrily. «Does a brave man fight with a sword against bare hands?»

Blade laughed. «Do not take his sword from him, Sidas. In England we have ways of fighting with our bare hands which you do not have in the Land. So Hota with his sword and me with my hands is a fair fight, as long as neither of us is wearing armor. Hota, I will fight as I stand if you will meet me-«

«I will, by the Law! Now let me go, you-!»

Reluctantly, Sidas and the others let Hota go. He shook himself to loosen his muscles, then raised his sword and sprang forward. Blade dropped into unarmed-combat stance and hoped this gamble would pay off. Facing Hota with his bare hands would give him a perfect excuse for killing the man, and Hota had to die. With his loud mouth, his bigotry about the Law, and his many friends among the warriors, he'd simply become too dangerous to be left alive. Blade was going to have to terminate him, as cold-bloodedly as he'd ever terminated a KGB agent. In fact there'd been KGB agents he'd killed with more regrets than he would feel in Hota's case. On the other hand, bare hands against bare steel was a gamble. Blade was confident of his skill in unarmed combat, but he was also aware of Hota's speed and strength. If the man was able to slow Blade down at all, this fight might have a very ugly ending.

Blade quickly discovered that Hota's combination of speed and a short sword gave the man a nearly perfect defense. If he'd been using a longer sword which he had to raise before striking, Blade might have been able to get in under it. As it was, he found the sword's point darting at his ribs every time he tried to close. If it got to be a life-or-death matter, he could always take the sword in his shoulder, immobilizing Hota's weapon. Then he could strike with his free hand. He didn't want to do that yet, though. Gilmarg had to be explored, and he'd be damned if he was going to try exploring it with one arm out of action!

So Blade kept his distance as much as he could without looking too cautious. Several times he managed to get in a kick at Hota's hip from the man's left. This slowed Hota down a little but not much. After the fourth kick he started guarding with his left arm held low. The next time Blade kicked, Hota's hand clamped down on Blade's ankle like the claw of the waldo. Blade had to kick, twist, and roll all in one motion to get free without being run through. Even then Hota's sword gashed the back of his leg.

As he got up, Blade heard Kareena gasp with relief and close her eyes. He wished she'd keep herself more under control. Knowing that Kareena was on Blade's side. could drive Hota into a berserk attack, caring nothing about his survival as long as he could take Blade with him.

Fortunately the cut was shallow. In Home Dimension a light bandage would have been enough for it. He wasn't even going to lose any speed. Just as well, since Hota seemed to be a more intelligent fighter than he'd expected.

Suddenly Blade realized that the way Hota reacted to Blade's kicks opened a possible line of attack. Blade feinted twice with his kicks and saw Hota make the same response each time. Not so intelligent after all, Blade thought. Putting both arms in predictable positions isn't a good idea in a fight. Blade decided to make his move the next time. Otherwise Hota might get suspicious, and he himself was going to be losing speed from sheer fatigue before much longer. Hota hadn't been chased all over Gilmarg by a runaway waldo!

Blade closed, then stood with one leg loose, the other stiffened. Hota gave his war cry and thrust fiercely at Blade's exposed and immobile stomach. Blade wheeled on his stiffened leg and brought the edge of his left hand across the side of Hota's neck. At the same time he folded to the right and gripped Hota's wrist. The sword point darted past Blade, inches away from castrating him. All of Hota's forward motion was now a free gift to Blade.

With that help, Blade's strength and his grip on Hota's shoulder and arm easily did the rest. In a single smooth motion Blade dropped and Hota rose. The Kaldakan let out a scream as he found himself in midair, then hit the ground headfirst with a gruesome crunch. Blade stepped back, noting that Hota's skull was flattened on top and his whole head was at an impossible angle to his shoulders.

Then Kareena was in Blade's arms, and this time he didn't even want to push her away. He wasn't feeling quite so cold-blooded now that Hota was dead, and it helped not to have to look at the man's body for a while.

Finally Kareena stepped away from Blade and turned to the others. «You see that Hota is dead, from the bare hands of a man he fought with a sword. A man he said was outside the Law! I say that if Blade is outside the Law, then the Law itself is not as it should be.» Several people flinched at those words, but nobody dared say anything. Blade himself wouldn't have argued with Kareena, not when she had her sword drawn and looked ready to kill anyone who argued.

«I will stay here in Gilmarg with Blade, and we shall study the secrets of the Tower Builders. Whatever we do or leave undone will be for the good of Kaldak, in the war which is coming. The rest of you, start loading the munfans!»

Bairam stepped forward. «My sister, our chief's daughter, speaks well. My sword will go where she or Blade of England tells it to go.»

«Mine likewise,» said Sidas.

«And mine.»

«Mine, also.»

«Yes. A new time has come for Kaldak.»

And so on, until nearly everyone had sworn to obey Kareena and Blade. No doubt they were taking his victory over Hota as an omen. Blade felt more relieved than proud. Knowing which orders to give was always important, but being able to get them obeyed was even more so.